Donald Trump must pay The New York Times $392,638 in legal fees over a failed lawsuit alleging an “insidious plot” between reporters and his niece Mary to collect his taxes.

A judge in New York state ordered Donald Trump on Friday to pay more than $392,000 to the New York Times over his failed lawsuit against the newspaper.

In 2021, the former president sued his niece Mary Trump, The New York Times and three of its reporters, accusing them of violating a confidentiality agreement regarding his tax records.

He claimed they were part of an “insidious plot” to obtain his tax returns.

The case was dismissed last year.

In a ruling on Friday, New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed said: “Given the complexity of the issues raised in this case, the number of lawsuits, the experience, ability and reputation of the defendants' attorneys , the significant amount in dispute, and the attorneys' success in dismissing the complaint against their defendants, the court finds that $392,638 is a reasonable value for the legal services rendered.”

The newspaper published a series of articles based on Trump's tax documents, winning a Pulitzer Prize

In his lawsuit, Trump alleged that the Times convinced his niece to “smuggle records out of her attorney's office and turn them over to The Times,” even though she had signed a confidentiality agreement.

She signed the deal in 2001 after settling a controversial legal battle over the will of Frederick Trump, Donald's father and her grandfather.

Trump demanded damages of at least $100 million.

It came after years of speculation about Trump's true wealth and amid concerns that he had broken political norms by not publishing his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign. He claimed this was not possible because he was subject to an audit.

However, The Times managed to obtain some of his tax documents and published a series of articles showing that the president had a history of “outright fraud.” The articles won a Pulitzer Prize in 2019.

That infuriated Trump, who launched legal action.

His indictment read: “The defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive data that they exploited for their own benefit and used as a means to falsely legitimize their published works.

“Defendants' actions were motivated by personal vendetta and their desire to achieve fame, notoriety, notoriety and a financial windfall, and were further intended to further their political agenda.”

The case was dismissed in May last year.

The former president claimed that New York Times reporters were part of an 'insidious plot' with his niece Mary Trump (pictured) to obtain his tax records

“Courts have long recognized that reporters have a right to engage in lawful and ordinary newsgathering activities without fear of tort liability – as these actions are at the heart of protected First Amendment activities,” Judge Reed wrote.

Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said at the time that the newspaper was “pleased with the judge's decision.”

He added: 'It is an important precedent that reaffirms that the press is protected when it engages in routine news gathering to obtain information vital to the public.'

And Mary Trump a podcast where she was proud to hand over his financial information to the newspaper.

“I'm actually very proud of that,” she said.